Musical Direction

Musical Director – Simon Loveless, BA BMus LMusA

The Chorale welcomed Simon as accompanist in 2011. When the position of Musical Director became vacant in 2012 there was no questioning Simon’s suitability for the role.

He has been active in Chorale music for many years, variously as conductor, accompanist, singer, administrator and advocate. Simon is also Musical Director of Da Capo Singers & Casey Choir and Associate Artistic Director and Accompanist to Berwick Youth Choir. In the past he has sung with Melbourne Chamber Choir (and Gloriana), toured the UK and China with Australian Welsh Male Choir and Cranbourne Chorale, and worked on a number of theatrical productions,(including the world premiere productions of “1975: A Populist Opera” and “Love Death Music and Plants”. Simon is also very active as a piano accompanist, working regularly in schools with various choirs and theatre companies, and as freelance accompanist for exams and recitals.

Simon consistently challenges the chorale to explore new and interesting music. His high expectations and musical expertise ensures high quality performances by the chorale.

Accompanist – Lisa Fraser

Lisa is a graduate of the University of Queensland, having studied piano with Pamela Page. She also completed Education Studies at Monash University
and was based for a number of years at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar in Melbourne, participating in many areas of classroom music education including VCE,
performing, accompanying, musical productions, choral education and piano tution.

In choral music, Lisa has previously enjoyed being a member of The
Melbourne Chorale, participated in various conducting and vocal workshops and has studied voice with Kathryn Sadler in Melbourne. Lisa currently
works at St Paul’s and in Drouin teaching piano, theory and voice, and enjoys freelance accompanying.

Musical Director Emeritus – Jan MacLean

Jan has had a lifelong interest in Choral music and during her teacher training she sang with Melbourne University Choral Society, then Yallourn Madrigal Singers under the late Val Pyers, Geelong GAMA Singers and Hamilton Lydian Singers, gaining valuable insights in leading a choir from a variety of skilled conductors. In the early ’70s directed the Southern Mallee Choir in Hopetoun for their first ever Messiah performance. Moving to Horsham , she directed Christmas Choir for several years. She has trained various secondary school choirs and directed many school musicals.

On moving to Warragul in the early ’80s she founded the Warragul Madrigal Singers, which was later renamed the West Gippsland Chorale to acknowledge the wider variety of music in its repertoire. For 26 years Jan directed the Chorale, and has always seen the big picture in preparing the choir for the future. From its earliest years when it began winning eisteddfods, she always strove for perfection and was well known for her ability to encourage the choir to enter into the atmosphere of each piece of music.

Jan made contacts over the years with leading Melbourne conductors such as Jeffrey Crellin, Doug Heywood and Peter Bandy, and thus began a series of cooperative choral ventures with Melbourne choirs and their orchestras. The Chorale under Jan’s direction became part of the musical tradition of Gippsland and beyond.

Her community work was recognised in 1999 when she was awarded an Australia Day Medallion.

Jan stepped down as musical director in June 2010, she has remained involved with the Chorale. Music lovers hold her in deep affection and love and will continue to extend to her their profound gratitude for years to come.